Chapters (50)
- Cover
- Roc Books by Jacqueline Carey
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
Jen glanced toward him again. “It’s funny, isn’t it? Stefan’s lieutenant keeping his distance. You’d think he’d want to get his ghoul on in a place where everyone’s happy and having fun. I mean, I know they’re not supposed to feed on the unwilling unless it’s an emergency,” she added quickly. “But as long as he’s here doing panic control, you’d think he’d want to skim a little of the good stuff off the top. I would.”
“Cooper says it’s painful,” I murmured. “Happiness, that is.”
“Who’s Cooper?”
I gave Jen a sharp look, but the question was genuine. In the weeks that I’d gotten to know Cooper, I hadn’t mentioned him to her. It made me realize how much distance my role as Hel’s liaison was creating between me and my best friend. “He’s Stefan’s other lieutenant.”
“Oh.” Judging from that one syllable, she was realizing it, too.
“Hey.” I shifted the spirit lantern in my left arm, grabbed Jen’s hand, and squeezed it. “I’m sorry if I’ve been secretive. I don’t mean to be, it’s just that I’ve had a lot going on. And I’m sorry I didn’t ask you to help out with this from the get-go, but I’m really glad you’re here now. Okay?”
“Okay.” Jen squeezed my hand back.
On the street alongside the park, Sinclair’s red, yellow, and green bus pulled up to let passengers disembark, PEMKOWET SUPERNATURAL TOURS painted on its side. I couldn’t help but gaze wistfully at it. I’d liked Sinclair. Well, I still did, of course, but life would have been a lot different if things had worked out between us. “Does he ever talk about me?” I asked Jen. “Now that you’re housemates?”
She followed my gaze. “A little, sure. I mean, he knows we’re friends, obviously. I think Sinclair feels bad about what happened. Aside from his familial baggage, which is a fairly huge deal breaker at the moment, he’s a sweetheart.” She paused. “Do you think you made a mistake breaking up with him?”
“No,” I said. “But I wish I did.”
Jen nodded. “I don’t blame you.”
A little before three o’clock, the harvest festival began winding down and young kids and their parents began to assemble across the street for the children’s parade. Not a single ghost had manifested and not a single hammer had been drawn. I was glad, but it didn’t do anything to alleviate the uneasiness I felt in the marrow of my bones.
“You be careful out there tonight, Daisy baby,” my mom said to me, hugging me in farewell. “And you, too, honey,” she added to Jen.
“We will, Mom Jo,” Jen assured her.